What do Educational Psychologists do?

Educational psychologists work with children and young people aged 0 - 25 with a range of different needs. In addition educational psychologists support schools and local authorities to help them improve and develop their systems for supporting children and young people.

Educational psychologists look at how children and young people experience life within the context of their school and home environment and how different factors in these environments interact with each other. We then work collaboratively with parents, schools and other professionals to identify strategies to support children.

Much of an educational psychologist's work is focused on supporting children and young people in educational settings however educational psychologists can also offer support to parents to help meet their children's needs at home. If you are a parent and think your child may need support from an educational psychologist it will be helpful to speak to your school's special educational needs coordinator and to look at the Local Offer on your local authority's website.

All educational psychologists are practitioner psychologists registered with the Health Care Professionals Council. You can check if an educational psychologist is HCPC registered by clicking the following link. http://www.hcpc-uk.co.uk/

Educational Psychologists support young people and children with:

learning needs

emotional and behavioural needs

physical disabilities

sensory needs such as problems with eyesight or hearing.

social skills difficulties

concentration difficulties

Ways in which Educational Psychologists support children and young people include:

Consultation — meeting with parents or carers and other professionals to discuss a child or young person’s needs and how best to help them

Psychological assessments— visiting educational settings to gather information about a child or young persons needs using methods such as observation, pupil interviews and one to one assessment.

One to one and small group interventions - educational psychologists may deliver one to one or small group interventions to promote learning and emotional wellbeing. They may also train and supervise school staff to enable them to deliver these interventions.